FINAL PROJECT: Abstract and Reader's Reponse > Removing the Murkiness Surrounding Biosand Filtration
Voice: The voice will remain the same throughout. A third person voice will be used.
Citation style will be APA 6th edition throughout.
Citation style will be APA 6th edition throughout.
May 5, 2017 |
D.A.
D.A.
D, talk with E. Both of you raise concerns with your difficult reader concerning microbes.
Be sure to check the literature on microbes both in grey water and bio sand filtration technology. See if you can get out ahead of them.
You will also need to address this during the competition. Generally, you need to remind people that many microbes are good microbes, thereby desensitizing them.
This fear is part of the pathos reaction in the reader. See, pathos in the context.
Be sure to check the literature on microbes both in grey water and bio sand filtration technology. See if you can get out ahead of them.
You will also need to address this during the competition. Generally, you need to remind people that many microbes are good microbes, thereby desensitizing them.
This fear is part of the pathos reaction in the reader. See, pathos in the context.
May 7, 2017 |
Marybeth Shea
Marybeth Shea
The Solar Decathlon is a competition between colleges to make the most energy efficient solar-powered house. One way to improve efficiency is by reusing graywater, wastewater from household appliances. This water contains some contaminants, but with appropriate filtration technologies, these pollutants can be removed, enabling re-use of the water around the household. Biosand filtration is a new spin on an ancient slow sand filtration technology, which was originally used to filter water for entire villages. Biosand has been scaled-down and made to run on intermittent water input, rather than requiring continuous water flow. These characteristics make it ideal for implementation in the University of Maryland’s Solar Decathlon competition entry. However, biosand is very technical. It involves several components, the main ones being a layer of fine sand, two layers of gravel, one coarse and one fine, a layer of water above the fine sand, and a biological layer, which develops over time. Together, these components create two layers, an aerobic filtration layer, primarily composed of the biological layer and the top of the fine sand layer, and the anaerobic layer, consisting of everything below the upper fine sand layer. Through the combined efforts of these layers, up to 99% of bacteria and viruses, and most turbidity are removed. Variations in several components of the biosand filter, such as surface area, water insertion rates, and sand types can cause variations in the efficiency of the filter, and should be explored by the team in order to find the most efficient system.
Reader
Reader Problem: A typical reader response might be skeptical of the need for biosand filter. Although it is one of the most efficient filtration technologies, it takes significant effort to set up. In order to get around this, I will emphasize the gains possible from biosand filtration.
Reader 1st person thoughts: Hmm, this biosand filtration filter seems like it will be useful for removing a lot of physical and biological pollutants. 99% is a high removal rate for bacteria and viruses. But 21 days? That’s a long time for set-up. Who is going to be responsible for regulating the filter during this time? What if it fails, and we have to start over again? Are there any easier ways to build the filter? Why would we use this filter instead of a combination of other smaller filters? We would have to use several filters to do the same job as the biosand filter, but would it be more efficient?